1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a safety device, in particular a safety strut, for safely supporting a relatively heavy load, comprising a telescopic tubular body with an axial space which is bounded by an outer casing and through which an extending part is axially movable, wherein the tubular body is adjustable between a relatively compact starting position, in which the extending part is located at least substantially wholly inside the outer casing, and at least one extended position in which the extending part extends for at least a substantially greater part outside the outer casing, and comprising fixation means for fixing the extending part and the outer casing relative to each other in the at least one extended position.
2. Description of the Related Art
Such a safety device, and in particular safety strut, is usually applied for the purpose of stabilizing a possibly unstable and relatively heavy load in emergency situations so that people operating in the vicinity of the load, such as safety staff, are not at risk of being hurt or more seriously injured due to the load tipping or falling over unexpectedly. Known safety devices make use of a tubular body having at a first outer end a support element for supporting therewith on a ground surface and at an opposite second outer end a further support element for supporting the load to be stabilized. A distance between the load to be stabilized and the ground surface can vary from case to case. In order to avoid a safety device of specific length being necessary, many known safety devices thus comprise a telescopic tubular body with an axial space which is bounded by an outer casing and through which an extending part is axially movable, so that the tubular body can be set between a relatively compact starting position and at least one extended position. It is important for safety devices that a safety device, once it has been placed to support the load, cannot move in undesired manner to the compact starting position with the consequence of possible damage and/or personal injury. Known safety devices are usually provided for this purpose with fixation means in the form of fixation pins which are inserted through openings arranged in the outer casing so as to penetrate into the space and fix the extending part and the outer casing relative to each other in the at least one extended position.
Although the known device thus prevents an unexpected movement to the compact starting position, it does however also have a number of drawbacks. Insertion of the fixation pins through the openings in particular requires an operation by a user of the safety device, who is therefore in the vicinity of the possibly unstable load for a longer time and so runs a greater risk.